Twenty Berapa

" I thought...I..owe you a child only..", Katherine whimpered in pain, several shreds of glasses making their way deeper into her skin. " Yes but now... you owe me your body too, Principessa.", Ace replied with a sly grin, the dark layer of smoke hiding the demons behind his hazel eyes. ********* Twenty years old, Katherine Harper had everything in her life, a perfect grade,sweet boyfriend and an unfulfilled dream of becoming the next top international fashion designer. Returning to her homeland after years spent abroad, Katherine was all ready to settle down with her long time boyfriend, Nathaniel Cooper. But on the day of her engagement ceremony,she never expected to meet her ex-boyfriend, Ace King who had now become the next billionaire in town. Ruthless, Cold, arrogant, Ace wasn't the same like her childhood lover from the past.When she accepted the bitter destiny that they let go of their past, Ace started to influence her emotions mentally and sometimes physically. Secrets were yet to reveal, hatred was yet to turn in love and Katherine had yet to fall in his Devil's Trap. At the end, Katherine had yet to learn that you can never hate a person whom you loved once.

Blurb: What happens when a Queen Serpent falls in love with an Alpha running for the king? Her Nemesis and the creature who killed her husband? Serpent Queen Liza is funny, witty, arrogant, a little stubborn, and a bit short-tempered, but a cunning cobra with a golden heart. A shape-shifter, Queen Liza has been blessed with the power to guise into any living creature. Be it a vampiress or a she-wolf. Twenty and four, she thinks of herself as tough, bold, fearless, and rebellious who is complete as she was. It was until she stumbled into the arms of her sworn enemy. And she likes it. Alpha Ibhaan is the ruler of the Taksh peck. A thirty-something, he is a smart, powerful, intelligent, clever, and drop-dead gorgeous black wolf. His heritage, Taksh Pack, is magnificent. It is developed, rich, and famous among the 49 subcontinents Packs of Chaitali. The wolves are living ahead of time in a super luxurious and comfortable lifestyle with elective democracy. It has everything that Liza’s country lacks. But will she ever be able to cherish it with revenge and desire pumping in her veins? Recently, the government has taken over the Ahi-Empire, the country of serpents co-ruled by Queen Liza and her husband King Maurya, putting a full stop to age-old rivalry, and destroying her world. Will Ibhaan be able to resolve the conflicts between the two races when his conscience is repenting an age-old stigma? Chaitali is not as glorious as it appears on covers of the ‘Wolf-Street’. It has a history comprising a million mysteries.

Tiningnan ni Isabella ang kapirasong papel na hawak niya. Nanlaki nang mabasa ang nakasulat doon. "Kayo po ang CEO ng kompanyang ito?" hindi makapaniwalang wika ni Isabella. Ngumiti ng malawak si Maximus. "Yes I am. At mayroon akong offer sa iyo na trabaho. Magiging madali lang ito para sa iyo. Isang taon ang kailangan mong guguluhin dito. At ang trabahong ito ay nagkakahalaga ng twenty million pesos." Halos malaglag ang panga ni Isabella sa kanyang narinig. "P-Po? A-Ano po bang k-klaseng trabaho po iyan?" "I need a contract wife, miss. No feelings involved. Just pure business." *** Hindi niya inakalang lolokohin siya ng kanyang asawa. Sobra siyang nasaktan at nadurog ng pino ang kanyang puso. Hindi niya hahayaang maging masaya ang asawa niya pati na ang kabit nito. Kaya naman umisip siya ng paraan upang makapaghiganti. Isang dalaga ang makakatulong sa kanya upang makapaghiganti na hindi niya aakalaing bibihag din sa sugatan niyang puso. At iyon ay walang iba kundi ang kanyang inaanak.

Being the daughter of an alcoholic, isn't a great thing. But what is worse is losing my mother at the age of seven. My father, Oliver Kruiz has hated me ever since, thinks I took his wife away from him. When in reality, it was his failure to show up that caused her death. As though hating me wasn't enough to keep me depressed, he tried to get me married to a man twenty years older than I was. I don't think twice before running away, the night before my wedding. I was meant to be careful but got careless, and nearly ended up being molested by thugs. That is before I'm saved by my dark hero: Hayden Wren. Things didn't exactly start smoothly, but that didn't mean they ended well either. I had phobia for thugs because my mother was killed by them; while trying to protect me. Everything suddenly goes south, when I find out the man who had saved me was no different. Which leaves me thinking: is he a friend or foe? --- River Kruiz, the daughter of a drunkard, Oliver Kruiz. She has phobia for thugs, and even eloped the night before her wedding. Nearly for this same reason. But what happens when she finds herself growing attached to a mafia?

Jendela rumahku gemetar oleh kekuatan guntur yang bergemuruh di langit. Petir menyambar di kejauhan, menerangi malam. Dalam momen kecil itu, beberapa detik cahaya yang membutakan mata menampilkan sosok pria yang berdiri di luar jendelaku. Memperhatikanku. Selalu memperhatikanku. Aku menjalani rutinitas, seperti yang selalu kulakukan. Jantungku berdegup kencang dan berdetak tidak teratur, napasku menjadi dangkal, dan tangan-tanganku menjadi lembab. Tidak peduli berapa kali aku melihatnya, dia selalu menimbulkan reaksi yang sama dariku. Ketakutan, Dan kegembiraan. Aku tidak tahu mengapa hal itu membuatku merasa gembira. Ada yang salah dengan diriku. Tidak normal bagi panas cairan untuk mengalir dalam pembuluh darahku, meninggalkan sensasi terbakar di belakangnya. Tidak biasa bagi pikiranku untuk mulai merenung tentang hal-hal yang seharusnya tidak aku pikirkan. Apakah dia bisa melihatku sekarang? Mengenakan hanya atasan tipis, puting susuku menonjol melalui kain? Atau celana pendek yang kupakai yang hampir tidak menutupi pantatku? Apakah dia suka pemandangan ini? Tentu saja dia suka. Itulah mengapa dia memperhatikanku, bukan begitu? Itulah mengapa dia kembali setiap malam, semakin berani dengan tatapannya sementara aku diam-diam menantangnya. Berharap dia mendekat, sehingga aku punya alasan untuk menempelkan pisau ke lehernya. Sejujurnya, aku takut padanya. Sungguh takut. Tapi pria yang berdiri di luar jendelaku membuatku merasa seolah-olah aku duduk di dalam ruangan gelap, satu lampu menyala dari televisi di mana film horor diputar di layar. Itu sangat menakutkan, dan yang aku inginkan hanyalah bersembunyi, tetapi ada bagian dari diriku yang membuatku tetap diam, membuka diri pada ketakutan. Menemukan sensasi kecil dari situ. Sekarang kembali gelap, dan petir menyambar di daerah yang lebih jauh.

Daaaarrr ! Lagi-lagi suara petir, biarpun aku nggak terlonjak seperti tadi tapi cukup bikin hati lumayan ngenes. Dengan kecepatan siput seperti ini jam berapa aku akan sampai Jakarta. Aku mendesah sedih, desahan yang sia-sia karena cuman aku sendiri yang tahu. Bruukkk ! Aku kaget lima kepalang. Aku menabrak sesuatu? Buru-buru aku melankah ke depan mobil, ingin melihat apa yang tadi sepertinya aku tabrak. Noooooo…..orang? Ada orang…eh laki-laki jatuh tertunduk di depan mobilku. “Tempat apa ini?” akhirnya dia berbicara. Pheeeww…aku menarik nafas lega, minimal dia bisa berbicara, coba kalau dia ternyata tidak bisa berbicara dan aku tidak tahu menahu bahasa isyarat bagaimana kita akan berkomunikasi coba? “Bandung….” Jawabku ragu-ragu, aku tidak yakin apa maksud pertanyaan dia dengan “tempat apa ini”, apa maksudnya kita di mana? Aku yakin sih aku belum meninggalkan bandung. “Bandung? Apa itu nama desa?” Hah…dia tidak tau Bandung? Mati gue, jangan-jangan tabrakan tandi membuat dia gegar otak. Sekarang dia mengalami amnesia dan tidak tahu siapa dirinya, tidak tahu apapun! Terus apa yang harus aku lakukan? Tiba-tiba aku ingat film Jason Bourne, dimana dia mengalami amnesia setelah tertembak dan jatuh ke laut. Tetapi lelaki ini bukan Jason Bourne, tapi dari postur badan dan wajahnya bisa saja lho dia menjadi the next Jason Bourne. Aarrrgghhh gue ngelantur lagi. “Mas ingat namanya siapa?” ok, pertanyaan basic untuk memastikan apakah dia amnesia atau bukan. “Gajah Mada” jawabnya singkat. Aku dengan refleks menyunggingkan senyum kecil, pasti emak bapak si emas ini adalah fans berat patih maha tersohor dari Majapahit tersebut. “Kenapa kamu tersenyum?” tanyanya membuyarkan lamunanku.

Prince Christian is temptation in royal form—tall, commanding, heartbreakingly beautiful. Jessica is his maid. His best friend. The girl who has loved him in silence for years. In the kingdom of Orlander, the royal family announces a Royal Selection to find the future princess. Christian wants nothing to do with it. His heart is still bruised from Mirabelle, the woman who left him. But the king and queen are determined. The kingdom needs a bride. The prince must choose. Christian agrees only under one condition—he will end the selection if he feels nothing. On the day of the ceremony, he draws twenty names. Mirabelle’s. A mysterious girl named Evelyn Hunter—whose name makes him smile for the first time in months. And Jessica watches the man she loves prepare to choose someone else. She is the maid no one notices. The best friend who is always at his side. The girl who knows him better than anyone… except the one thing she can never tell him. He is searching for love. She is standing right there. But in a palace full of glittering gowns, secrets, royal duty, and heartbreak… she might be the only girl he never sees. This is a forbidden romance, best friends-to-lovers, royal drama, and slow-burn heartbreak where loyalty, destiny, and hidden love collide.

He didn't ask for a wife. He certainly didn't want one but when she left, he realized she was everything he. Someone he couldn't live without. After a brutal heartbreak and betrayal at twenty, Zale shut his heart on love. It became detestable to him. Emotionally wrecked, distant and cold, he returns home only to discover a big surprise, one that broke him more. His parents handpicked a wife for him. To him, Isla is nothing more than a gold digger and a stranger under his roof. He made it clear to her. Do nothing, expect nothing. Isla tries to make it work, but Zale meets her efforts and kindness with silence and eventually cruelty. When the weight of rejection became unbearable, she walks away. But her absence haunts him, overwhelmed by an ache he can't explain and a familiar feeling, he had buried for so long. The heart he had carefully guarded begins to crumble. He was no longer a man who didn't care. He is now the man desperate to get back the gem he trashed. But when he finds her... Will she still be his love? Or let him suffer like she did, with no mercy?

I was reborn on the day of my first birthday party. Even though I had the power of good luck, I ignored my parents' requests. In my previous life, I used my luck to help my parents become the richest family. My eldest brother became a business tycoon. My second brother became a famous doctor. My third brother became a superstar in the music world. Only my family's adopted daughter, Jade Baker, was unaffected by my luck because we weren't related by blood. She failed her college entrance exams at eighteen, was kidnapped at twenty, and died in an accident at twenty-five. Before she died, she wept and said, "It's not Mindy's fault. I've always been an outsider. She has no obligation to help me." Everyone thought I was jealous and let Jade suffer on purpose. They locked me up and ran all sorts of experiments on me, hoping to use my luck to bring Jade back to life. In the end, they tortured me to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my first birthday party. My dad smiled and asked me, "Sweetheart, do you think I should sign this million-dollar deal?" I blinked. And smeared a handful of mud on his face.

ONE NIGHT. THREE BILLIONAIRES. A FORTUNE SHE NEVER KNEW EXISTED. Elena Marshall's life implodes in a single evening—cheated on, fired, and left with nothing. When a mysterious stranger rescues her from an attack, their night together awakens something wild and desperate inside her. But one night of passion becomes three dangerous obsessions. Ryder Cross—the reckless rebel who makes her forget everything on the back of his motorcycle. Dante Moretti—the possessive protector who installs her in his safe house and watches her with predatory intensity. Julian Hayes—the charming hotelier who makes her feel precious for the first time in her life. Three powerful men. Three explosive connections. And Elena caught in the middle of their ruthless competition. But as their pursuit intensifies, cracks appear in her reality. Someone is following her. Her past doesn't add up. And a letter arrives addressed to "Elena Ashford"—a name that doesn't belong to her. Until she discovers it does. Twenty years ago, billionaire Marcus Ashford was murdered and his five-year-old daughter vanished. Now Elena's memories are returning in violent fragments: blood on marble floors, a man dying, someone carrying her into the darkness. She's the missing heiress. And the three men desperate to claim her? They all have ulterior motives tied to the night her father was killed.